Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance in NICU of Assiut University Children's Hospital

Nosocomial infections (NIs) are a major public health problem worldwide . Nosocomial infections are those acquired in or associated with hospitals. They are also known as hospital-acquired or healthcare-associated infections. The usual definition of a hospital-acquired infection is one that was not present or incubating when the patient was admitted to a hospital or healthcare facility; where there is doubt, a cut-off period of 48 hours after admission is used.The terms hospital-acquired and healthcare-associated are often used interchangeably, but 'healthcare-associated' also has the wider meaning of any infection acquired as a result of healthcare in any setting.

Nosocomial infections are common, and may be serious or fatal. Some are unavoidable but doctors' duty of care to their patients extends to fundamental matters such as basic hygiene, which may prevent patients becoming infected, and avoidance of unnecessary antibiotics, to discourage development of resistance Health care-associated infections (HC-AIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and lead to increases in hospital length of stay and treatment cost. Higher nosocomial infection incidence in NICUs was related to longer duration of hospital stay, and invasive interventions and medical treatments. HC-AIs, especially device-associated health care-associated infections (DA-HAIs), were also common in newborns because of their insufficient immune system and mechanical barriers, as well as lack of protective flora